Genetics will make it possible to develop more effective vaccines against pneumonia.
To better fight against pneumonia, researchers carried out a genomic study on the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, discovering 621 strains in more than 50 countries. Their research international is published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this work will help develop new vaccine strategies.
New Emerging Strains
Specifically, the researchers sequenced the DNA of more than 20,000 samples of Streptococcus pneumoniae from infected people in 51 countries. Samples were taken before and after the introduction of the pneumonia vaccine, then DNA sequences and medical records were compared. This helps determine changes in the bacteria that might affect the pneumococcal vaccine, and whether new emerging strains might affect the severity of the disease.
The researchers discovered 621 genetic strains worldwide. They also found that levels of vaccine-impermeable bacteria increased after the vaccine was introduced. According to Professor Stephen Bentley, study director, Wellcome Sanger Institute: “Pneumonia is a big threat to global health. We now have an unprecedented insight into the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia , and we can observe the evolutions that cause the current vaccine to fail. This will provide crucial information for future vaccination strategy worldwide, and help save lives.”
16,000 deaths per year
In France, 400,000 to 600,000 people contract pneumonia each year, causing up to 16,000 deaths. It is the leading cause of death of children under 5 worldwide. Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs, which primarily affects the air cells. Often benign, it may be responsible for high mortality in cases of invasive pneumococcal disease.
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